February 2020
UPCOMING EVENTS
Combined Ash Wed. Service February 26- 7 pm at Kerr Pres. Church
157 Bridge St., Verona (Milltown)
Wednesday Bible Study Wednesdays at 1 pm
Lenten Bible Study Starts March 4 - 6:30 pm
Alzheimer Caregiver Support Group March 5 - Noon
Northside Commons Meal March 5 - Mission Committee
Change Sunday March 8
New Members' Class March 14 - 9:30 am in the Library
Tweener Retreat at Crestfield Camp & Conference Center March 14 & 15
Caller Articles Due March 20
Palm Sunday April 5
Maundy Thursday Service April 9 - 7 pm (Communion & Tenebrae)
Easter Celebration April 12 - 10 am
Annual Rummage Sale May 1 & 2
For the Beauty of the Earth during Lent
Having lived in England, South Korea, Cameroon, Fiji, and visited many parts of Europe and the South Pacific I am in love with God’s creation. The beauty is overwhelming but the vast durability of the Sahara, the Midwest plains and Eastern Appalachians, the Swiss mountains, the 5 oceans (including the north and south version of the Pacific and Atlantic as 1), stars at night, sunrises and sunsets leave me in awe of God the Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer.
My heart still sings when I see the first snow drops blossom in early February, or as today, I saw the first crocus blossom. I did suggest it hold on for another week, but alas what drives a blossom is a mystery to me and fully known by God.
Hymns new and old have sung praise to God for the beauty of creation. This lent we will learn ‘God of the Sparrow’, #272: God of the sparrow, God of the whale, God of the swirling stars, how does the creature say awe, how does the creature say praise. The hymn reaches into the depths of the seas, tops of the branches, and into our hearts to ask how each of us praises God with awe and wonder.
Leah Schade wrote a Lenten devotional based on the hymn For the ‘Beauty of the Earth’ because Jesus, the Psalmists, and prophet’s stories included references to God’s refuge and strength in the mountains and nature. Leah writes, “Jesus used images from nature to illustrate his teachings. He interacted directly with aspect of Creation (rivers, lakes, seas, winds) and he sought prayerful refuge in the wilderness, on the mountains, and in gardens. Reciprocally, nature gave witness to the personhood and divinity of Jesus from the time of his birth announced in the heavens, to the darkness that enveloped the land at his crucifixion and rolled away a massive stone on that first Easter sunrise.”
The book of Job ends with God’s own hymn of questions to humanity about who ordained the tides, the boundaries of the sea, the coming and goings of the sea creatures, and ancient groves. Job 38:22-24 has God asking Job: “Have you entered the storehouses of the snow, or have you seen the storehouses of the hail, which I have reserved for the time of trouble, for the day of battle and war? What is the way to the place where the light is distributed, or where the east wind is scattered upon the earth?”
The poetic questions feel rather overwhelming at first, but the abundance of the conversation shows God deeply entwined with what we simply call nature: clouds, cliffs, caves, clownfish, and crows.
Care for God’s earth is part of our stewardship responsibilities from God’s creation of all things living. In 1970 April 22 was designated as Earth Day. The goal was to raise awareness of our relationship to our beloved earth. Lent corresponds to the time the earth begins to come back to life after a healthy period of rest. Last year we looked at signs of resurrection through simple daily events. This year let’s look at scriptures and hymns that show us how to celebrate the glory of God in our midst with awe and wonder.
A daily reading from scripture or a hymn will be posted on our church Facebook page. If you do not “Facebook” the post is shown on our church website https://www.plumcreekpc.com/ scroll down a bit and you will find the daily readings shown on the right hand slide.
Folliott Pierpoint (1835-1917) wrote the lyrics for For the Beauty of the Earth which begins:
For the beauty of the earth, for the glory of the skies, for the love which from our birth over and around us lies. Christ, our Lord, to you we raise this, our hymn of grateful praise.
Welcome to Lent , Jane
Ash Wednesday – Plum Creek and Kerr Presbyterian Churches are combining their services into one service at Kerr Presbyterian, 7:00. We will meet in their basement for an interactive service and imposition of ashes.
Weekly Lent Study – The Road to Emmaus with Handel’s Messiah
Wednesdays through Lent you are invited to join a small study in Fellowship Hall from 6:30 to 7:30. A simple soup and dessert will be available as we discuss and share about Cleopus and campanion’s walk along the road to Emmaus from Luke 24. Each week will look at the presence of Christ, the person who walks beside you unseen but very present. We will close each session with a portion of the Messiah. All are welcome.
Caregiver Support Group Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Disorders
The 1st Thursday of Every Month Noon – 1:00 p.m.
Presbyterian Church of Plum Creek
550 Texas Road Center New Plum Borough, PA 15239
Are you a caregiver for someone with Alzheimer's disease or a related dementia? You are not alone. You are invited to join others who are giving such care in a support group sponsored by the Alzheimer's Association. Join us as we support each other on this road that can be a combination of sadness and joy. We will learn together through our laughter and tears. Reservations are not necessary, and there is no cost to attend. For questions, please contact the church at (412) 793-4525. Join us on the 1st Thursday of each month.
Tweener Retreat at Crestfield Join us March 14-15 for 24 hours of fun, games, and faith formation. Open to youth from 4th through 8th grade, we’ll travel to Crestfield on Saturday morning and spend the day playing games, hearing from a speaker, worshipping, doing camp activities, and more. We'll then spend the night Saturday and wake up Sunday for breakfast and worship before heading home. Please let Faith know if your children are interested in attending! More details to come soon.
Praying Through Lent Since Epiphany, our children’s Sunday school class has been reading stories of Jesus from the book of Mark. We’ve learned about healings and miracles and parables and more! This Lent, we will take time to explore the Lord’s Prayer together. Each week, we’ll look at a small section of the prayer as we dive into what it means and why it’s important. We’ll also talk about why we use this prayer from Jesus and why prayer is a big part of our lives. Then, beginning in the spring, we’ll learn about the early church from Acts and what it means to be a part of a special community. Of course, fun and games are always included.
NEW MEMBER CLASS - Plum Creek is offering a membership class on Saturday March 14th at 9:30. If you are interested in joining, sign up in the Narthex, let Pastor Jane know or call the church office.
Maundy Thursday/Good Friday Tenebrae combined service
Plum Creek Church Thursday, April 9, 2020 at 7 p.m.
ARE YOU INTERSTED IN SCRAPBOOKING? We have a group coming to use our church for scrapbooking workshops. Church members are welcome to join the group. If you are interested, please contact Janet Jenkins at 412-897-8690 or email Janet at scrapwithjanet@hotmail.com.